Summary of Design – Society – Nature Intervention Brief:
This design brief spans 4 months, from Nov 2022 – Feb 2023. The brief is a major piece of self-directed work, which sits within the; Visual Communication: Design – Society – Nature Programme at The Margate School.
I’d like them to engage in some form of local action, rather than me just talking to them about these issues, principles and ideas. I feel this will be a lot more meaningful for them and allow them to explore sustainability / nature / society in their own context.
Over the course of these 4 sessions, scheduled in; November, December, January & February, the students will develop a self directed design project relating to sustainability / nature / society, with a focus on Margate (or whereever they live) and their own lived experience of place and quality of life. This personal, place based learning approach aims to counter any disconnection or feelings of being overwhelmed by the scale of the climate and nature emergency and also hopefully make it real and relevant to them and their lives and where they live.
The Self Directed Bief
The project will be largely self-directed but with work in progress discussions each in sessions 2, 3 & 4 and of course supported by tutorials. In session one I will introduce the brief and I’ll invite them to start by doing some research in their environment and to consider what effects or matters to them. They will then develop this research into a design action or intervention.
This could be a poster, street art, a game, an installation… anything that will communicate a key message or call to action to an identified audience.
This strand of work may feed into their essay topics or they may choose to develop this strand of practice further into a final major project. Or it could be a stand alone piece for their folios.
Due to the short timescale for my Action Research Project (ARP), I will use the first part of this brief to obtain the data for my ARP. This data will be the visual research that the students collect in response to the brief and their responses to 4 questions, which invite them to reflect on their visual research in the context of the brief.
You are invited to design a real world intervention, that responds to a social (community) and / or Nature (environmental) issue that you have identified locally. In our first session I suggested you start by visually researching and exploring the places and spaces that are local and familiar to you, be that Margate or another place you live, work or spend time.
Through your local visual research (photos, sketches, recordings etc.) you are attempting to identify and define a quality of life issue that you would like to respond to with your designed intervention. Your issue may relate to human life or natural life (are they different?) or as is often the case, it may be an issue that impacts on both human society & the natural world.
Preparation for Thursday 22 Dec:
Please bring with you a collection of your local visual research (sketches, digital photos, found material…etc.) to share with the group. You will be invited to reflect how this research has helped you to uncover or explore a quality of life issue or issues that you would like to respond to through designing a public intervention.
The questions that you will be invited to respond to in this session are;
1. Where did you collect your visual research?
2. After sharing and reflecting on your research in the group today, what are are the quality of life issues you have begun to identify? (for the local community and / or nature) Who or what is most affected by the issue/s?
3. How did (do) you feel about being asked to visually explore / research your local area, as a way to start this Design Society Nature Intervention brief?
4. Do you have any initial ideas for how an intervention might respond to the quality of life issue you have identified? If so, please briefly share your initial idea/s.